[8]

Shame is a deeply sad, austere and beautifully composed film about a sex addict whose routine is interrupted by a visit from his emotionally disturbed sister. The film features a fearless, hyper-anguished performance from Michael Fassbender, who is quickly becoming one the best film actors of our time. Masterfully directed by Steve McQueen (Hunger, 12 Years a Slave), who lets several scenes play out in single, long takes with minimal coverage. Every one of his stylistic choices is purposeful, aesthetic, and critical to the storytelling. Shame is superbly thought-out and executed — a directing master class for film students. Carey Mulligan is also impressive as the visiting sister. One of my favorite things about Shame is that it allows subtext in the performances to feed us exposition and narrative. There are things you learn about Mulligan and Fassbender’s characters just by watching Mulligan sing “New York, New York” that couldn’t have possibly been expressed better with dialogue. Scrumptiously photographed by Sean Bobbitt, with a brooding score that echoes Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings.